Jack Hanna Lends Support to the American Brain Tumor Association

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Wildlife Correspondent to Help Raise Awareness of 700,000 Living with a Brain Tumor

“Brain Tumor Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to promote greater understanding and advocate for safer, more effective treatments.” - Elizabeth Wilson, MNA, ABTA president & CEO

Chicago, IL (PRWEB)May 06, 2014

Inspired by his daughter’s courageous battle against brain tumors, Wildlife Correspondent Jack Hanna has teamed up with the American Brain Tumor Association to raise awareness and promote greater understanding of the disease in observation of Brain Tumor Awareness Month this May.

At the age of 2, Hanna’s youngest daughter, Julie, was diagnosed with leukemia and went through chemotherapy, cranial radiation, and bone-marrow treatments. Though Julie’s leukemia has been in remission for many years, she has also battled benign brain tumors – the first while she was in college and again in 2011.

“Having a child with a brain tumor is not only terrifying for a parent – but taxing on a family’s resources. Organizations like the American Brain Tumor Association help support families through challenging times, while also doing life-saving research,” said Hanna. “I personally encourage anyone who is struggling with a brain tumor diagnosis to turn to the American Brain Tumor Association for assistance.”

The American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) was the first and is now the only national organization committed to funding brain tumor research and providing support and education programs for all brain tumor types and all age groups. Each year, thousands of patients, families and caregivers rely on the ABTA’s toll-free CareLine, 800-886-ABTA, where licensed healthcare professionals are available to offer support, provide information and refer patients and families to resources and services to meet their needs.

“Because we don’t know who, we don’t know when, and we don’t know why people get brain tumors, patients and caregivers depend on us for support and reliable information when they are grappling with understanding their diagnosis,” said Elizabeth Wilson, MNA, president and CEO of the American Brain Tumor Association. “Brain Tumor Awareness Month is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to promote greater understanding and advocate for safer, more effective treatments.”

Since 1976, the ABTA has funded more than $25 million in research which has seeded the field with new generations of researchers and supported the development of novel ideas across a wide variety of research areas. Funding from the ABTA recently aided the development of two new drugs that target malignant gliomas, such as GBM—a common and aggressive type of malignant brain tumor.

Every day, 500 people across the U.S. are diagnosed of with a brain tumor, and 4,300 children will be diagnosed with a brain tumor this year. To Wildlife Correspondent Jack Hanna, these numbers are more than statistics—they represent the faces and families, like his, who have been impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis.

Throughout May, brain tumor patients, caregivers, families and friends will gather for events across the country to celebrate the triumphs of those impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis. The ABTA invites patients and families to share their stories and be inspired every day this month, visit http://www.abta.org/BTAM and follow the ABTA on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/theABTA) and Twitter (@theABTA).

ABOUT THE AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION
Founded in 1973, the American Brain Tumor Association was first and is now the only national organization committed to funding brain tumor research and providing support and education programs for all tumor types and all age groups. For more information, visit http://www.abta.org or call 800-886-ABTA (2282).